Coming Out of Love
by MasterClass60
Summary: As Raphtalia recovers from a recent attack, Naofumi finally realizes his feelings towards her and Melty shows Raphtalia that no matter how she looks, Naofumi will always love her.


Hello once more fellow people of the world of fanfiction. Disclaimer- I own none of this or the show itself. Now, on with the story.

In the world of Melromarc, there lived a hero known as the Shield Hero. His name was Naofumi and his companions were demi-humans Raphtalia and Filo. Filo was able to transform into a huge bird during battle and transportation. When she wasn't in bird form, she was a normal, little girl with small, visible wings on her back. Raphtalia was unable to transform, but had visible racoon ears and a tail to go with it. She was Naofumi's sword, assistant and well-known companion. Side by side, they have battled many monsters and have gotten strong as a team. They have had many adventures together, meeting many friends and defeating many foes. Along the way, they have gained pretty formidable allies, including their newest member, Princess Melty. Now, you're probably wondering where the group is at the moment. They have arrived back to their hometown when suddenly, a monster came and was intending to attack the town. They were able to stop it in the end, but it did leaves its mark. To protect Naofumi, Raphtalia took a massive beating in Naofumi place. She was badly burned and cut and was lucky to be barely conscious when the monster was killed off. Afterwards, Naofumi rushed her to a medical tent where doctors did their best to treat and heal her. It was three long hours of worrying, waiting and more worrying. When the nurse finally came out, Naofumi and Filo kept shouting,"How is she? Will she be ok"? The nurse says,"She is slowly recovering, but will luckily make it. We gave her enough holy water to dispel the curse and treat most of her burns." Both of them were relived as Naofumi felt like a major chip was off his shoulder. The nurse then grew a bit concerned, saying,"However, there's one cut on her left eye that we were unable to fully heal. It's bound to become a permanent scar by the next stroke of dawn. Then there's her leg, which is slightly sprained, putting her unable to walk for about the rest of the day. Other than that, she's bound to make a full recovery soon. All she needs now is some rest for about three days and then only time will tell." This made Naofumi worry a bit as he thought _Three days? I wonder if she'll be able to recover before the next Wave of Catastrophe hits_. Once the nurse allowed him, Filo, and Melty to come see Raphtalia, the group quietly walked into the room where their friend was asleep with bandages on her. Raphtalia has definitely seen better days for sure if you saw her condition now. She still had a few light burns, the tips of her tail, ears, and about a third of the ends of her hair were pitch black. However, thanks to the holy water and her fighting spirit, she was getting better. Filo rushed to her side, shouting,"Raphtalia?! Are you ok?! Please be ok"!! Raphtalia sturred in her sleep, tossing a bit on the medical bed. Naofumi comforted the small Filofial while saying,"It'll be ok. It may seem like things are bad now, but she'll make it. I know she will. She's always has been a bit of a tough nut to crack." Melty soon joins in with,"I do hope you recover soon Raphtalia. I can't imagine all you went through, especially with the beating you went through." Naofumi was silent through the small talk, trying to get a hold on his confused state of mind and his emotions.

A few hours later, everyone turned in for the night, trying to get some sleep. Filo and Melty slept close to Raphtalia as Naofumi kept watch in case of danger from any wild monsters or a sneak attack from Malty, the Spear Hero, and his party. His mind, however, was acting on a whole different level. He was thinking about Raphtalia and letting his emotions come out to play. In his mind, he said _What am I feeling? I know I'm worried for Raphtalia and hoping she recovers in time but...there's a part of it that's something more. It's as if...I care for her, at least that's true. Can it be that I care for her that much...that...I like her?_ Soon, weariness took over and he soon sat in a chair and fell fast asleep. By morning, all seemed to have calmed down and relax. Melty and Filo were the first to awaken as they brought food for Naofumi and Raphtalia in case she woke up. As the trio ate, Filo looked over at her sleeping teammate before saying,"I hope Raphtalia wakes up soon. I can't help but feel worried." Melty was able to comfort her by saying,"Filo, I believe that she'll be ok. I know she'll wake up soon." Naofumi joins in, saying,"Let's finish and I'll figure out what to do next." Suddenly, a quiet voice was heard in the room, saying,"Master Naofumi...Filo...Melty...," as the trio turned their heads to see where it came from. It turned out to have come from Raphtalia, who was finally waking up. As she slowly opened her eyes, she was greeted by smiling faces from her companions, especially Naofumi since he rarely smiled. Filo and Melty automatically hugged her as Raphtalia happily accepted their hugs. Naofumi asked Raphtalia if she was feeling better as the recovering demi-human says,"Much better. My leg is a bit sore, but other than that, I'm alright." Melty offered her food as Filo sat by her side. Once she finished and the nurse changed her bandages, Raphtalia was cleared to join the group again on their journey. The nurse reminded Naofumi that he would need to change the bandages 2 times a day for about 3 more days before Raphtalia could be fully healed. With that, the group was off, continuing their journey of defeating the Waves of Catastrophe. Naofumi decided they'd do a bit of level grinding, just to take things easy, especially with Raphtalia in recovery. After a while of fighting and gaining about 3 levels, they decided to take a break. Naofumi wanted to train with Filo for a bit while Melty volunteered to stay with Raphtalia. With that, Naofumi led Filo to the forest as Melty took Raphtalia into town.

As the pair walked along the streets, they passed a store with a huge window, displaying models with beautiful dresses. Raphtalia couldn't help but look at them and doing so, got a good look at her reflection. When she saw how she looked, it made her concerned. Inside her mind, she was thinking _I knew that the fight with the dragon would've left some scars, but I look awful. Between the scar on my eye and the ends of my hair being pitch black...now how will I get Naofumi to love me? I can't even look attractive enough in the state I'm in._ Melty could tell what Raphtalia was thinking as it gave her a splendid idea. With that, she says,"Why don't we do a bit of shopping? If the Shield Hero was here at the moment, he'd probably head to the mercenary and get you new armor." It sounded great as the pair walked to the mercenary and purchased new armor. It suited Raphtalia perfectly and she found it quite stunning. Luckily, it was only 3 silvers, which was cheap for something worthy and beautiful. Afterwards, they both went to the lake to wait out for Naofumi and Filo. As they sat by the water, Melty looked through her small satchel in search for something. Raphtalia watched silently as she looked over at her reflection in the pond. She quietly turned her head when she heard a success sigh from the second princess of Melromarc. In her hands were a pair of sterling silver scissors and a small, golden brush. With that, Melty moved towards Raphtalia while saying,"We got apparel out of the way, now to work with the next minor issue at task." At the sight of the objects, Raphtalia flinched slightly and had a bit of nervousness in her eyes. Only once so far has she had her hair cut by anyone. Even so, she has always preferred to keep it down and long. There was another reason why she kept it the way it was, mainly towards charming Naofumi. Melty, luckily, understood how she felt and knew just what to do. Sitting by her friend, she explained to her,"I may not have known Naofumi for very long so far, but I do know enough to say this. It may not seem like it, but he does care much about you. It wouldn't matter if you had short hair or if you were human or not. He loves you for who you are. He may not show it, but it's true. I've seen the signs, even when he tried to hide them from others." It made Raphtalia feel a lot better and more confident. Once that was settled, Raphtalia allowed Melty to work with her hair. Melty carefully used the scissors and began cutting the burnt, black portions of the demi-human's brown locks. It was a bit of a lengthy process as Raphtalia kept her eyes shut the entire time. What got her to open them was when she felt the brush move along her newly shortened hair. The sensation was surreal and it felt kind of nice. Sure, whenever Naofumi did it, it was nice too, but this was quite different. Maybe it's the new length or it could be that the feeling of the brush's bristles slowly removing any knots or tangles, leaving behind an area of silky smoothness. When Melty moved the brush to groom the hairs around her ears, Raphtalia gave a bit of a giggle from the ticklish feeling. It seemed to alert Melty as she smiled in content and happiness. Around and between her ears were always her favorite spots when Naofumi would pet her in praise. Soon, Melty was finished as she placed the brush down and marveled at her work. Raphtalia looked into the water at her reflection and was amazed at how it turned out. It was now shortened to her upper back and even the strands that were always seen up front were now reaching her shoulders.

Seeing how happy Raphtalia was made Melty grin brightly. Once she put her supplies away, both girls stood up and grabbed their bags. They started to head deep into the forest where they were immediately greeted by Naofumi and Filo, who were a little tuckered from training. When they both saw Raphtalia with now short hair, the Shield Hero was a bit shocked as Filo kept fangirling and shouting,"Wow Raphtalia!!! You look really pretty"!!!! When she asked Naofumi if he liked it, he said,"Believe it or not, it suits you." As Filo and Melty went to play, Naofumi wanted to talk to Raphtalia privately for a minute. As they strolled into the forest, Raphtalia was curious about what could Naofumi want to talk to her about. Once they were deep enough, he had her sit on a log. Then, he knelt down to her and says,"You know something? For the last few months, I've had this weird feeling around you. At first, I thought it was just concerns and seldom worry for you. I just assumed that theory until the moment I saw you injured on the medical bed. Seeing you slowly recover, I realized something. This feeling...it wasn't just seldom concern. It's love." Raphtalia was shocked as a bright red blush overcame her. The one word she has always wanted to hear come out of Naofumi finally happened. Raphtalia smiled brightly before finally speaking up, saying,"Oh Master Naofumi, you have no idea how happy you've made me right now. I love you too Master Naofumi," before getting up and hugging him. Naofumi was a little shocked at first, but happily accepted it and hugged her back. He then petted her between the ears as she smiled in awe as he says,"You know, Filo is right about you looking beautiful. It wouldn't matter if you had a scar, an amputation, or if you were human or not. In my eyes, you are more precious than any pieces of gold. Speaking of beauty, the new haircut really brings out your eyes and the armor suits you well." Raphtalia blushed happily as soon, she and Naofumi kissed with Filo and Melty watching in secret, almost screaming in shock of what they saw. After a minute, both lovers separated as Naofumi says,"Even though we are in love, you will still be fighting alongside as my sword, right"? Raphtalia nodded and says,"Yes Master Naofumi. I promise to be your sword forever." Once the moment ended, both heroes started to head back and meet up with Melty and Filo to continue their journey together.


End file.
